


Broken Cycle

by Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Breaking A Time Loop, Curse Breaking, Exploration, F/M, Henry Literally Forces Canon Divergence, Henry Stein Saves Everyone, Ink Monster(s) (Bendy and the Ink Machine), Mute Boris (Bendy and the Ink Machine), Sometimes A Family Is A Human And His Freakshow Ink Friends, Susie Campbell being a Jerk, Toon Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-19 06:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16529453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse/pseuds/Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse
Summary: Remember that you can't save everyone.But remember that you have to try.Henry knows the cycle, he's lived (and died) through it countless times. To say he's gotten sick of it is an understatement. Just before his third and final fall, he decides that it's time to change.





	1. A Loop, Shattered

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hope you enjoy reading, please remember to comment if you like it!

H

The same thing. Every time. He went into the studio at Joey's request, fell through the floor, kidnapped by Sammy, meeting up with Boris, only to have the poor guy ripped away by Her, having to put Boris down, meeting Allison and Tom, and then defeating Bendy.

Over. And over. And over again.

Just once, he wanted something to be different... Even if it was for the worse, something that would scare him a little more, heck he'd even take having Alice back around.

Okay, maybe not that, but something different. Henry wandered though the corridor, walking over the boards that stood over the chasm, Tom and Allison behind him. This was where he always fell through though.... Henry stopped walking. He was breaking the painful cycle, even if it meant looking like an idiot. He doubled over, groaning dramatically.

Allison and Tom immediately took a few steps back, Tom putting a hand on Allison's shoulder. "What's the matter?" The angel asked, cautious. "Are you hurt?"

Henry nodded. "It's a human thing, I need to lay down for a bit." He heard Tom give a harsh growl, the wolf obviously wasn't going to be having that.

Allison turned carefully to face him, frowning. "Tom, I know we have to keep moving, but you heard him. If he dies, and we could have helped him, that makes us no better than- Well, yes, I know that isn't exactly killing him, but he needs help..." She argued with Tom, who she could... Apparently understand? "Well what do you suppose?"

The two looked over at Henry, who gave a nervous smile. He hoped they wouldn't force him to keep going, he was one board away from continuing breaking through the floor and falling again.

"Okay." Said Allison. "I'll get his arms, you get his legs." She said with a small smile. "Get ready Henry, we're going to carry you to the next safe house we know about. It'll take us out of our way, but you can rest there."

He prayed this would work, that they wouldn't all fall. They couldn't though, could they? They would land in the inky lake and disappear, and it wasn't part of the story Joey wanted.

He was writing his own story now.

Slowly, they moved around Henry and lifted him up, as they moved, the boards creaked. Sweat dripped from his face as he tried to keep his breathing steady. He looked up at the two who carried him, both of them were working hard, slowly, but it was enough to get Henry further than he'd ever been before.

As he thought, the boards didn't break. They got into a narrow hall, dimly lit but stable. Ink dripped from the ceiling into a little puddle, they set him down near it. Tom got closer to Henry, checking out his eyes, pressing his metal hand against the man's forehead. He must have known a little about sickness, perhaps he carried knowledge of being a human once.

"How are you feeling?" Allison asked, her dark eyes filled with worry.

Henry sighed softly. "I really do need to get to that safehouse, I'll rest up, and then we'll keep going."

The angelic creature gave a soft smile. "Sounds good to me. Think you can walk? No offense but you're... Not exactly light as a feather."

He heard Tom snicker a bit, and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I probably can."

They led Henry through a maze of halls, passing by posters, cutouts, and shelves full of merchandise. There were many small recording booths around, as well as a few closets, they'd be useful to look into.

Someone had written on the walls too, in so many of the recording booths.

**"Am I good enough now?"**

**"Not perfect."**

**"Pathetic."**

**"Liar Liar Liar Liar Liar"**

**"I'll be as popular as Bendy someday"**

_**"KILL ALLISON"** _

_**"I'M ALICE ANGEL"** _

Well, those last ones were certainly disturbing. Allison stopped in front of the one vowing to kill her. Tom snarled, his hands (paws?) clenching into fists. Seemed he knew Allison's real name, even if she didn't. The angel looked at him, her eyes full of confusion and a bit of fear.

"Who could've written these?" She asked "Do you think it was.... Her?"

Henry wanted to say yes, and to tell her who she was, but something stopped him. It would only scare her. "Maybe it was. We should keep going, it's probably old anyway. Besides, she's gone now."

He hoped she was at least. After all, even if Allison had run her through with that sword, her body had never melted away.


	2. Perfect Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry sees a glimpse into the past, and the possible future.

H

After seeing those messages on the wall, the small group stayed relatively silent. There were handprints all along the walls, signs that something else was living here. Henry tightened his grip on his axe.

Soon enough, Allison and Tom walked into what appeared to be a dead end. That is, until a little button on the wall was pressed. A panel on the ceiling dropped open, and a ladder came down, leading to a tiny secret room.

The three climbed up it, Tom pulling the ladder back afterwards and pulling the panel back up.

"Apparently this is where people stored things." Said Allison. "I've never found much use in the things we found here, but feel free to take a look around. We should really settle down for the night."

Henry gazed at her as the angel prepared two little spots for herself and Tom to sleep. "How do you know when it's night?" He asked.

She looked up, an eyebrow raised. "Isn't it obvious? It's when the ink creatures are most active. Well, the Searchers anyways. The Lost Ones are always active, always wandering the halls. The Searchers stay in their nests during the day." The raven haired woman explained. Henry nodded, it wasn't like it made too much of a difference though, since those monsters had "nests" everywhere.

Henry decided to inspect the items nearby, going through them carefully. Within the pile of mostly junk was an old beaten up cassette player. There was a tape inside of it too... Maybe someone had left a message up here. He turned the volume down on it, held it to his ear and pressed play.

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse." The voice of Susie Campbell could be heard from it, ragged and hoarse. "Apparently... The doctor *cough* says I have a throat infection... He said it should clear up, but" She went into a coughing fit, and for a moment had to catch her breath. "I was supposed to record my big song today. This new girl, the one Thomas is fawning over, says that she wants to try singing it... I hope her voice cracks."

"Got bad news for you, Susie..." Henry murmured. That must have been the day Allison had become the new Alice Angel. He actually felt a little bad for Susie though, it must have shattered her heart to have been replaced over something she couldn't control. He wondered how things would have gone if she hadn't gotten sick...

No use dwelling on a past he couldn't change. There was no changing Susie's fate, no saving her. He knew better than anyone that there was no use trying to change the past. He had to focus on the present, getting out of this twisted place.

Speaking of which, it was about time to rest. Allison had already settled down, Tom by her side, leaving his sleeping spot in order to hold the angel close. Henry relaxed onto the old sheets and blankets as best he could, his mind racing for the first time in a while. He peeked through the looking glass that he kept, looking around the room.

No golden ink, he was on the right track.

Henry woke up to the sound of the door being opened, he jolted up, holding his axe close.

Tom stood in the doorway, holding a little box. The wolf stared at Henry for a few moments, before setting the box down near him. Inside it was a few papers, completely blank. Henry gave a soft smile. "You want me to draw?"

Tom nodded, and pointed over to Allison, who was still deep in sleep. She looked so peaceful, at ease. The short man gave a little smile. "Ah, you want me to draw her, don't you? Okay, I'll give it a shot." He took out a pencil and began to sketch out the shapes that made up his inky friend's body. Tom watched patiently, occasionally tilting to get a better glance.

He'd almost been finished drawing her clothes when they heard a skittering noise from below the door. Henry set the paper and pencil down. "I'll go check it out, you stay here." He told Tom, who nodded and hid the drawing away under his blanket.

The brunette man opened the door and lowered the ladder down, pushing it back up and closing the door again. He looked around for what had made the noises.

"Hello? Is anybody there? I heard you." He said in a voice he hoped didn't seem threatening, and listened. There was silence, maybe it had just been a pipe making a strange sound, or maybe it was a rat-

"Shh, he can hear you."

Henry's eyes widened, that had been a voice from the darkness, no doubt about that. There was someone, or perhaps 2 someones running around. It was a girl's voice, soft and crystal clear, not garbled or warpped like some other voices he had heard in the studio.

"Hello?" He called out again. There was a soft gasp, and the sound of something running away. Henry sprinted after the sound. He ran down the corridor, following where he had heard the voice. After coming to a corner he rounded quickly, his breath caught in his throat.

Around another corner, only seen for a split second, was a skinny black tail. "Wait, stop! I'm not gonna hurt you!" Henry called out, and the sounds of the unknown creatures stopped.

Slowly, he made his way down the short hall, listening for them. Henry turned the final corner, and dropped his axe.

There, in front of his very own eyes, were perfect, cartoony looking copies of Boris, Alice Angel, and Bendy.


	3. Ink Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry gets to know the Toons a little better

H

The three stood before him, all so small. Boris only came up to Henry's shoulder, Alice was at his chest height, with Bendy being at his wasit. 

They looked as if they had all jumped straight from the screen, nothing was human about them at all, their bodies were flawless and whole. They all backed themselves against a door. "Who are you?" Alice asked.

"M... My name is Henry, I drew you, I made you." He tried to explain, still in disbelief. They were real, alive! The Ink Machine had actually worked. "Where did you come from?"

Bendy gave a little grin. "Isn't it obvious? We're from the Ink Machine! Well, the first one. We were in there for so long, all the ink in it dried up! So now it's our home." The little demon told him, the other two nodding. "Angel cake and Captain Fuzzypants over here have been following you since you stepped into this place! I wasn't too interested, but... Well..." His smile drooped a bit, and his facial expression became one of a more forced happiness. "Wouldn't want these two to get hurt, or meet their End."

Henry nodded in understanding. Seemed this Bendy really loved his friends. "I get it." He told the little Ink Demon, "I have some friends of my own, back at the shelter."

Bendy cocked his head. "That place was yours? That old dump? Buddy you're the best artist in the whole world! I'd say you deserve a throne but we've only got one a' those, and I don't think the guy on it wants ta share! Come on, we'll show you our place!" The little Devil wiggled his tail, taking Henry's rough hand into his own oddly soft one and leading him up a set of stairs. "Angel face, you mind unlockin it? Don't think this guy can travel like we can."

They had stopped in front of a large metal door, many posters were plastered on the walls around it, featuring the three. Plushies, cutouts and records were scattered all over the area, along with old scripts and drawings. Alice walked up to one of the posters, one of herself singing to a sinking ship, and pressed her hand to it. A little black puddle emerged from the wall, and she walked through. 

"Quite a gal, ain't she?" Bendy said wistfully as she disappeared. "I love it when she does that."

Boris snickered, and rolled his eyes. He leaned over, beckoning Henry a little closer. The brunette leaned down a bit and heard a soft whisper. "He's horns over tail for Alice." 

Henry's eyes widened. Boris had been designed as a mostly silent character! But he had heard it clear as day. Boris had the voice of Wally Franks.

A moment later, the large door opened, and Henry followed the two inside. The room was small, warm and cozy, lit by candles. There were cans of soup, radios, couches and pillows all over the place, film reels and projectors everywhere. In the center of it all was-

"The Ink Machine."

There it stood. Smaller than the normal one, doodled on, the front nozel taken off. The inside was perfectly clean, stained black by the ink that had once been inside of it. There were a few candles in it, some more plushies, and 3 little hammocks. "Welcome to our humble abode!" Alice chirped, a happy grin on her face. "That Ink Machine is the very first one of them all, they filled it up with tons of ink, then filled it jam packed with film, drawings, music, anything they could! We were stuck in there for a long time, Henry. Almost 30 years. We just absorbed as much as we could, and then one day... Poof. We exsisted. All the ink was gone, just us left behind."


End file.
